Related articles

“I couldn’t even pick up the phone and then one day I galvanised myself with what little energy I had left to get help.

“For me depression and breakdown wasn’t darkness, it was an empty space. It was a numb greyness. I planted the garden in shades of grey.”

He created the display with the help of landscape gardeners, twin brothers Charlie and Adam Benton.

MARK KEHOE

Mr Whyte with twins Charlie and Adam Benton

It [the depression] was so severe I spent several months in bed unable to do anything

Frederic Whyte

Mr Whyte said: “You walk through woodland where you can’t see the wood for the trees. It’s the most personal thing I have done and put on public display.”

Sarah Hughes, chief executive of The Centre for Mental Health, which is sponsoring the garden, said: “We thought the garden was a great opportunity to start talking about the outside world and what it can offer in terms of keeping well, and how gardening has been a source of recovery.

“If you’ve got a green space or a garden box, we hope this garden will spark that connection and conversation.

“We are not saying it is a replacement for proper treatment but within the mental health community gardening can help people feel like they’re switching on to something inspirational and hopeful inside themselves. It’s a powerful tool.”

Other gardens at the show include the Children’s Wild Garden for children with disabilities, particularly autism.

The Royal Horticultural Society Hampton Court Flower show runs from Tuesday to next Sunday, July 9.